Japan companies seek job-hoppers

Switching works goes against the culture, but is no longer a taboo

TOKYO - Japan's labor shortage has pushed job-hopping to its highest since the global financial crisis, as companies scramble for workers with experience in the rapidly aging economy.

Job-hopping goes against the grain of Japan's work culture, where many companies hire graduates and employ them until they retire. But the country's jobs-for-life system is slowly giving way as firms curb labor costs and society shifts.

Switching jobs for better conditions is no longer taboo amid a tightening labor market, and the trend is being led by midcareer workers.

"There's always a risk of failure. But you can't get what you want if you don't try," said Hiromichi Itakura, 44, head of a medical job placement department at Saint Media Inc in Tokyo, who changed jobs in January.

"I took up this job because it gives me a more responsible post. As a salary man, I also wanted a higher salary," he said, adding that his pay is now 20 percent higher than previously.

The number of job-hoppers rose for the seventh straight year to 3.06 million in last year, the highest since 2009, though it still accounts for just 4.8 percent of the labor market.

Older workers have more opportunities because of demographics: a fast-aging society, low birthrate and falling working-age population. The jobless rate has stood at a near two-decade low while the jobs-to-applicants ratio is at a 43-year high.

Big companies say the labor market is at its tightest since 1992, according to the Bank of Japan's latest "tankan" survey published this week.

Though job turnover is still low relative to other major economies - the change should be welcome news to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has been championing labor flexibility and merit-based pay - with little success so far.

Enhancing labor mobility is expected to help raise low productivity and boost wages, getting Japan convincingly out of a deflationary rut.

Companies facing labor shortages are willing to pay for battle-tested workers who don't need as much training.

Electric motor maker Nidec Corp is actively hiring midcareer engineers and remunerating them for their experience.

"Competition is tough for tried-and-true personnel," a company spokesman said on condition of anonymity. "We are doing our best to persuade talented people to join our company."

Job-hoppers aged between mid-40s and 65 or older are on the rise, hitting their highest, according to comparable data going back to 2002.

"The midcareer job market is booming," said Hirofumi Amano of en-japan inc, a job placement agency.

People older than 35 used to be considered past their prime in the midcareer market but these workers are now sought after. Companies are seeking experienced managers and engineers and offering higher pay, Amano said.

Workers who secured higher salaries from changing jobs outnumbered those whose paychecks shrank, labor ministry data from 2015 showed. A quarter of job-hoppers saw their salaries rise by 10 percent or more.

In comparison, average base wages in April rose just 0.4 percent from a year earlier.

The International Monetary Fund has urged Japan to enhance worker mobility to strengthen productivity and wage pressures.

"Low labor mobility, a strong preference for job security, and wage setting based on past inflation constitute the main bottlenecks for triggering needed wage-price dynamics," it said.

Reuters